Illumination chopper

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an illumination chopper which allows a user to operate on the nucleus of a crystalline lens with a small piece while securing visibility through a chopper which is mounted at one end of an illuminator to form a predetermined angle with the illuminator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of Ser. No. 17/122,241 filed on Dec. 15, 2020, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/901,131 filed on Dec. 28, 2015, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,898,380, which is National Stage Entry of PCT/KR2014/009466 filed on Oct. 8, 2014, which claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2013-0120806 filed on Oct. 10, 2013. The aforementioned applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an illumination chopper, and more particularly to an illumination chopper in which a nucleus of a lens is operated into small pieces while visibility is secured through a chopper mounted on one end of an illuminator to form a predetermined angle with respect to an illuminator.

BACKGROUND ART

In the medical field, an illuminator is generally mainly used when retinal surgery is conducted, and a chopper is used when cataract surgery is conducted.

Here, an illuminator or a chopper is used separately according to the surgery, and in the process of the surgery, the operator conducts the surgery while gripping the illuminator or the chopper for surgery in one hand and gripping an illumination device or an auxiliary tool for securing the field of view in the other hand.

That is, because the operator conducts surgery while gripping surgery tools in both hands in the above-mentioned surgery method, excessive force is applied to the hands of the operator, causing pain and deteriorating the accuracy of the surgery as well when the surgery is conducted for a long time.

In addition, because an illumination device emits light to the diseased part of the patient from the outside, efficiency is degraded as compared with the emitted light.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an illumination chopper that separates the nucleus of a lens into small pieces while improving visibility through a coupling structure of a chopper that is mounted on one end of an illuminator in which an optical fiber is arranged at one end of the illuminator to form a predetermined angle with respect to the illuminator.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an illumination chopper according to the present invention includes: an illuminator that emits light; a chopper that is mounted on one end of the illuminator to form a predetermined angle with respect to the illuminator; and a grip part that surrounds the illuminator. Visibility is changed according to the predetermined angle formed by the illuminator and the chopper.

Preferably, the illuminator includes: a body having a body hole through which light passes; and an optical fiber that is situated inside the body, and which emits the light towards one end of the body.

Preferably, the illumination chopper includes: a power supply for supplying electric power to the optical fiber; and a power connection part that electrically connects the optical fiber and the power supply.

Preferably, when the predetermined angle is an acute angle, the light emitted from the illuminator illuminates a front side of the illuminator.

Preferably, when the predetermined angle is an obtuse angle, the light emitted from the illuminator is refracted by the chopper to illuminate a periphery of the chopper.

As described above, according to the present invention, surgery that separates the nucleus of a lens into small pieces through a chopper while improving visibility by emitting light from the interior of an eyeball can be performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from one side, which illustrates an illumination chopper according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view from one side, which illustrates the illuminator of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from one side, which illustrates an illumination chopper according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view from one side, which illustrates the illuminator of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Elements of an illumination chopper according to the present invention may be used integrally or separately if necessary. Further, some elements may be omitted according to usage.

Preferred embodiments of the illumination chopper 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the process, the thicknesses of the lines of the drawings or the sizes of the elements may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. Further, the following terms are terms that are defined in consideration of their functions in the present invention, and may vary depending on an intention or customs of the user or the manager. Therefore, the definition of the terms should be made based on the overall contents of the specification.

First Embodiment

Hereinafter, an illumination chopper 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The illumination chopper 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an illuminator 110 that emits light, a chopper 120 that is mounted on one end of the illuminator 110 to form a predetermined angle with the illuminator 110, a grip part 130 that surrounds the illuminator 110, a power supply 140 that is electrically connected the illuminator 110, and a power connection part 150 that electrically connects the illuminator 110 and the power supply 140.

The illuminator 110 includes a body 111, a body hole 112, and optical fibers 113.

The body 111 is a kind of a tool that is generally used when cataract surgery is conducted, and has the form of a hollow tube. The body 111 includes the body hole 112 through which light passes, and a plurality of optical fibers 113 for emitting light to the outside are situated in the interior of the body 111.

The body hole 112 is a hole situated inside the body 111, and the plurality of optical fibers 113 are situated in the body hole 112.

The optical fibers 113 are situated in the interior of the body 111, and light is emitted towards one end of the body 111.

The chopper 120 is mounted on one end of the illuminator 110 and is arranged to form a predetermined angle with the illuminator 110.

In more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the chopper 120 may be arranged so as not to block light emitted from the optical fibers 113.

That is, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined angle is an acute angle, and the light emitted from the illuminator 110 illuminates the front side of the illuminator 110.

The coupling structure allows the operator to emit light into an eyeball by using the illuminator 110 to improve visibility, and to conduct cataract surgery with the chopper 120 at the same time.

It is preferable that the grip part 130 is formed to surround the illuminator 110 and is formed of a resilient material. The grip part 130 helps the operator conduct cataract surgery or the like while the operator grips the grip part 130 with one hand thereof.

The power supply 140 is a unit for supplying electric power to the optical fibers 113, and is electrically connected to the power connection part 150. The power supply 140 may be any unit that can supply electric power.

The power connection part 150 is an electric wire that electrically connects the optical fibers 113 and the power supply 140.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, an illumination chopper 100′ according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in which all the elements except for the chopper 120′ are the same as those of the first embodiment and will be described with reference to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The illumination chopper 100′ according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an illuminator 110′ that emits light, a chopper 120′ that is mounted on one end of the illuminator 110′ to form a predetermined angle with respect to the illuminator 110′, a grip part 130′ that surrounds the illuminator 110′, a power supply 140′ that is electrically connected the illuminator 110′, and a power connection part 150′ that electrically connects the illuminator 110′ and the power supply 140′.

The chopper 120′ is mounted on one end of the illuminator 110′ and is arranged to form a predetermined angle with respect to the illuminator 110′.

That is, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined angle is an obtuse angle, and the light emitted from the illuminator 110′ is refracted by the chopper 120′ to illuminate a periphery of the chopper 120′.

In more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the chopper 120′ is configured such that the light emitted from the optical fibers 113′ is refracted by the chopper 120′ so that the field of view around the chopper 120′ is secured.

The coupling structure allows the operator to emit light into an eyeball by using the illuminator 110′ to improve visibility, and to conduct cataract surgery with the chopper 120′ at the same time.

Here, the choppers 120 and 120′ according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention are somewhat different in the coupling relationships with the illuminators 110 and 110′, and it is apparent that the structure may be fixed after being variably adjusted to provide the operator with convenience during cataract surgery.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that the present invention may be variously corrected and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the spirit and area described in the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of chopping a nucleus of crystalline lens of an eyeball into small pieces during eye surgery, the method comprising: inserting a device into an eyeball, wherein the device includes: an illuminator that is provided with a body and is configured to emit light from an interior part of an anterior segment of an eyeball; and a chopper that is fixedly mounted to a top side of the body of the illuminator at a predetermined angle, extends away from the top side of the body, and extends downward substantially below a bottom side of the body, thereby forming a chopping tip; and chopping a nucleus of crystalline lens of the eyeball into small pieces by using the chopping tip.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the illuminator and the chopper are integrally formed.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination chopper further comprises a grip part that surrounds at least a portion of the illuminator.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the illuminator, the chopper, and the grip part are integrally formed.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the chopper tip is rounded and blunt.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the light is emitted via an optical fiber provided in the body of the illuminator.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is an obtuse angle.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is a substantially right angle.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the chopper has an oval cross-section. 